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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. T. CARTER 85 J. KEEBLE. ROAD SWEEPING MAGHINB.

No. 399,971. Patented Mai. 19, 1889.

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4- Sheets.$heet 2.

(No Model.)

w. T. CARTER .& J. KEEBLE.

ROAD SWEEPINGMAGHINE.

No. 399,971. Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

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(NoModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

W. T. GARTER & J. KEEBLE.

ROAD SWBEPING MACHINE. No. 399,971. Patented Mar. 19,1889.

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llnirnn drains PATENT OFFICE.

I WILLIAM THOMAS CARTER AND JAMES KEEBLE, OF BURY ST. EDMUND S, COUNTY OF SUFFOLK, ASSIGNORS TO ALBERT IVILLIAM COLLINS, OF

LONDON, ENGLAND.

ROAD-SWEEPING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,971, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed xpl'll 13, 1888. $eria1No. 270,582. (No model.) Patented in England December 13, 1886, No. 16,346, and in France November 22,1887,No.18'7,117.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, TILLIAM THOMAS CARTER, residing at St. Johns Iron VOl'kS, and JAMES KEEBLE, residing at 7 Chalk Lane,

both in Bury St. Edmunds, in the county of Suffolk, England, engineers, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road- Sweeping Machines, (for which we have re IO ceived Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. l6,3e6,dated December 13, 1886, and in France, No. 187,117, dated November 22, 1887,) of which the following is a specification.

o form our road-sweeping machine in such a manner that it can be secured behind an ordinary cart and be made to sweep up material off the road and deliver it into the cart as the cart drawn along. The machine is formed of an inclined box or case open at its lower end and having within it an endless band or series of brushes working over and against its lower side or floor. The lower and rear end of the inclined box or case is supported on a pair of road-wheels Its front 2 5 end is supported on a central steering-wheel, and can be raised or lowered by a screw or otherwise to alter the incline at which it is held. The brushes are carried by two endless chains-one chain at one side of the box or case and the other at the opposite side. The endless chains work over clntin-wheels on two axles which pass across the box or case, one near its top end and the other near the bottom. The axle of the lower pair of 3 5 chain-wheels is revolved bya pinion upon it being made to gear with a toothed wheel on the axle of the hinder pair of road-wheels. W' hen the brush mechanism is not required to be in use, the pinion can be slid out of 40 gear with thetoothed wheel. As the endless chains pass around the lower chainavheels, the brushes they carry come into contact with the ground, and the material they sweep up they carry upward along the bottom of the case or b" x, and. at the top deliver it by a descending chute into the cart.- The endless band of brushes has naturally a tendency to sag or droop somewhat downward between the upper and lower axles by which it is carried. e make the floor of the case or box curved to a corresponding curve, so that the brushes may not be always bearing more heavily against the central part of the floor than it does at the ends. The frame of the machine we form of one bent bar, with a wheels are made adjustable, to admit of the 6 5 chains being tightened up, and also to admit of the brushes being set toward the floor of the case or box to compensate for wear. The spindle of the lower pair of chain-wheels can be moved toward .or away from the floor in curved slots concentric with the axle of the hind road-wheels, so that at this end the brushes may be set nearer to the floor without altering the distance between the spindle and axle.

At the lower end of the floor of the inclined box or case is a short plate, forming a continuation of the floor, and which can be slid upward or downward along the floor as may be required. At the lower end of this plate is a piece of india-rubber or other flexible substance to trail over the ground. If desired, small plates or runners may be set to project forward in front of the above-mentioned plate to divide the soft mud over which the machine may be traveling and prevent the mud from spreading sidewise away from the machine.

In order that our said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into ef- 0 feet, we will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sweeping-machine constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical and longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is an under side view. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the rear end of the box or case,

and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the adjustable scrapers.

a dis the box or case. It contains an endless series of brushes, 1) b, fixed upon chains 0 a, passing around chain-wheels (Z (Z on axles e e.

ff are the main roadwheels. They are mounted upon an axle which passes through the sides of the box or case, which is thus carried.

9 g is a frame consisting of a bent bar. It has bearings on the axle at g g and a central bearing at g for the vertical stem of the fork h, which carries the steering-wheel 1;. The frame also carries an adjusting-screw, 70, on the head of which the box or case rests. By means of the screw the inclination of the box or case and the height of its deliveryspout from the ground can be adjusted.

n is a connecting-rod, which couples the stem of the fork h with the cart, which both draws the machine and receives the sweepings. The connecting-rod by operating on the stem of the fork so sets the steeringwheel as to insure the machine following truly in the track of the cart.

p is a spur-wheel fixed to one of the road wheels f. The wheel 19 gears with a pinion, g, on the lower axle e, and so the endless series of brushes receives movement.

q is a lever by which the pinion can be slid along its axis to put it in and out of gear in the usual manner. r is an adjustable plate forming a continuation of the floor a of the box or case a. It can be set as near to the ground as desired, and, preferably, it is provided with an indiarubber flap or lip, 1", which actually rests on the ground, so that the mud may not, when brushed forward, escape below the edge of the plate 1". The plate 7' may also be provided with end pieces, 0*, to confine the mud and prevent it escaping from the brushes. The floor a of the box or case a, it will be observed, is concave. Its curve should be that at which the chains carrying the brushes hang when set to a suitable tension.

To adjust the brushes to the ground, the lower axle e is carried in bearings which are held in curved slots a in the sides of the box or case at. These slots are concentric with the spur-wheel 19, so that the adjustment may be effected without deranging the driving-gear. The bearings are connected with screws .9 by coupling-pieces s and by turning the screws they are traversed along the slots. The upper axle e is carried in bearings in slotted blocks t, and by screws u the bearings can be traversed along the slots in the blocks to adjust the tension of the chains. To set the brushes to bear more or less hardly on the floor a of the box or case a, the blocks 25 are arranged to slide in slots a in the sides of the box or case, and screws o are provided for the purpose of traversingthe blocks along the slots.

It will be observed by reference especially to Fig. 2 that the floor of the casing sags about midway between its ends, as indicated at w, to conform to the natural sag or droop of the chain of brushes-that is, the chain of brushes being supported at the ends naturally tends to sag between the ends, so that if the floor were straight the brushes would come closer to the floor at this point unless provision was made to prevent it by curving the floor, as shown in Fig. 2. The brushes are thus made to work equally along the entire length of the floor. When the machine is at work, the brushes, being properly set, carry the mud up the inclined floor a to the chute w, from whence it drops into the cart by which the machine is drawn.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is 1. The combination,substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the front and rear wheels, the frame connecting them, the inclined box or casing, the axle of the rear wheels to which the box or casing is pivoted, the adjustable support for the front end of the box, the endless series of brushes, the support therefor at the upper end of the casing, the bearing for said support adjustable both longitudinally and laterally, the support for the lower end of the series of brushes, and the bearing therefor adjustable in an arc concentric with the axis of the casing.

2. The combination of the inclined box or case, the endless series of brushes, and the adjustable plate secured to the lower end of the box, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination of the inclined box or case, the endless series of brushes within the case, the adjustable plate secured to the lower end of the box, and the flexible lip on the lower end of the adjustable plate, substantially as herein set forth.

WVILLIAM THOMAS CARTER. JAMES KEEBLE.

Vitnesses:

FREDK. CARR, ANTHONY HARRIS. 

